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Last Updated on August 16, 2023 by Victoria

As Halloween nears, so does the question of what to wear to celebrate this ghoulish holiday. However, I am not willing to fork over $150+ dollars at one of the local Halloween shops for a Khaleesi costume (Game of Thrones reference..). Call me cheap, but you probably aren’t willing to either. Good thing there are so many fun, cheap and easy Halloween costume ideas for adults I have found.

You don’t need to purchase a pre-made costume from Spirit Halloween (or any of those other random shops that pop up around vacant stores and plazas) to have a beautiful or perfectly scary costume.

Most of the time, we find that we already own part of the costume or we can easily put every day items together for the best costume ensemble.

I personally love thrifting around for the best costume. Always check goodwill. If the pickings there are slim, we will have to get more creative.

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Cheap and Easy Halloween Costume Ideas For Adults

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Cupcake Costume

 I love this cheap and easy Halloween costume idea for adults. This idea could actually work for both adults and children.

Plus, who doesn’t love a cupcake!?

Note: You can substitute any of the below colors and materials for what you prefer.

What you’ll need: 

• 1 plastic tub with handles with the bottom cut out
• Ribbon to attach to the handles and to hold it up
• 3 pieces of hot pink poster board accordion folded
• 1 pack of poly-fil for icing
• Multi colored pom pom balls for sprinkles
• Hot glue or super glue
• Red ball glued to a headband

Estimated Cost: $20 – $40

Photo credit: coolest-homemade-costumes.com

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 Barbie Costume

 

Barbie has become a hot topic again because of the insane success of the Barbie movie. She’s iconic, she’s everything, and she makes for a super cheap Barbie Halloween costume! There are thousands of unique Barbies out there with their own props, which also makes this costume super flexible. Pick one and start putting your look together! This can also be a couple’s costume if you can find someone to be your Ken (which isn’t hard because he’s not that important) or your Midge.

What you’ll need:

• A pink outfit
• Pink accessories like a purse, jewelry, nail polish, or sunglasses
• Props inspired by your favorite Barbie

Estimated Cost: $20 – $40

Photo credit: Criativa Pix Fotografia

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Medusa Costume

This costume idea is one of the easiest and can also go for both adults and children. You can use a dress you already have, check a local thrift store, or see what’s on amazon.

What you’ll need:

• 1 pack of rubber fake snakes
• 1 pack of bobby pins
• 1 dress that you either already have or you can check out this cute toga dress on Amazon

Estimated Cost: $8 – $30

Photo credit: curbly.com

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Lumberjack Costume

You can easily incorporate this lumberjack costume as a couples costume or if you are going solo. As you can see, it works with dogs too but I wouldn’t recommend EVER dying your dog any color than their natural fur color. Just a thought.

What you’ll need:

• Red flannel shirt
• Jeans
• Red Beanie
• Fake Ax
• Brown boots

Estimated cost: Based on what you might already have $10-$40

Photo credit: starcasm.net

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Unicorn Costume

I love this fun and colorful costume idea. It is not only cheap and easy but can be used for adults, pets, kids, you name it. All this really required is a headband and some colorful attire and accessories to go along with it to make it work.

What you’ll need:

• Unicorn headband
• Multi-colored Hair extensions
• Tutu

Estimated cost: $15 – $30

Photo credit: blockbustercostumes.com

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Witch Costume

Sorry to be cliche but a witch costume is one of the easiest and most fun costume ideas. It is easy to put together and doesn’t cost much. You probably already own a little black dress and some tights so all you might need is the hat. Release the inner witch in you!

What you’ll need:

• Witch hat
• Black dress
• Black tights
• Black heels

Estimates cost: $20 – $40

Photo credit: flickr.com

For more witch costume ideas, I love this Etsy shop!

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Bob Ross Costume

When I found this costume idea, I couldn’t help but laugh. But seriously, this is a genius Halloween costume idea. Make it a couple costume by having your partner be the ‘happy little tree’ or incorporate the kids as little squirrels or paintings. How cute!

What you’ll need:

• 1 wig and beard
• 1 button down sirt
• Jeans
• Brown belt
• Brown shoes
• Paint pallet (or DIY with cardboard)

Estimated cost: $20 – $30

Photo credit: C.R.A.F.T.

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Spider Queen Costume

If you love to embrace the arachnid nature and really don’t have time for much fuss, try this spider queen costume idea. It is not only cheap and easy, but it is pretty quick too. All you do is super glue some fake spiders together for a crown, do creepy/beautiful makeup and throw on a black dress with boots. Wa-lah!

What you’ll need:

• 1 pack of fake spiders
• Glitter
• Super glue
• Black spider dress

Estimated cost: $5 -$20

Photo credit: deliacreates.com

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Devil Costume

A devil costume may sound like another cliche costume that every other person ends up wearing every year for Halloween. That’s because it is so easy to throw together and doesn’t cost much. Plus, it is not like all devil costumes are created equal. You will probably never see two devil costumes that look exactly alike.

What you’ll need:

• Devil horns
• Red dress
• Red bow tie
• Red heels

Estimated cost: $20

Photo credit: nastygal.com

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Cat and Mouse Costume

This costume idea is for both couples and singles. You can go either as a cat and mouse if you are a couple or go as a cat, holding a mouse if you are single. What is great about a cat and mouse costume is it fits for all genders and one of the simplest costumes out there.

What you’ll need:

• Cat ears
• Mouse ears
• Long sleeve shirt
• Leggings

Estimated cost: $10 – $20

Photo credit: pinimg.com

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Skeleton Costume

Gotta love Martha Stewart for creating so many fun easy crafts for us, especially during Halloween time. This skeleton costume is so easy to make, you will have it done in minutes. Just cut out a rib cage on either a black or white T-shirt, and then layer it on top of the opposite color.

What you’ll need:

• Skeleton makeup
• White T
• Black Long Sleeve T 
• Scissors

Estimated cost: $10

Photo credit: marthastewart.com

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What other cheap and easy Halloween costume ideas for adults have you used?

We would love to hear from you in the comments below! What has worked and what hasn’t? Please let us know!

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